Wearing ankle shackles and handcuffed behind his back, former Anglo Irish Bank chief executive David Drumm shuffled into a US court for the start of a lengthy fight against extradition.
The chain between Mr Drumm's legs jingled as he walked into the Moakley Courthouse in Boston. The 48-year-old was unshaven and appeared tired. He had the look of a man who had been arrested unexpectedly on the Saturday of a holiday weekend.
Mr Drumm is wanted in Ireland to face 33 charges, including forgery, false accounting and conspiracy to defraud, stemming from share-propping and deposit-boosting transactions at Anglo before his resignation in December 2008.
The Dubliner, without his glasses and dressed in an open-necked blue shirt and navy trousers, sat beside his lawyer, Tracy Miner.
"Good morning, your honour," Mr Drumm said loudly when greeted by magistrate judge Donald Cabell.
The hearing lasted 10 minutes as the judge set a bail hearing for Friday and a status hearing for November 10th to determine how long the proceedings will take.
The case was going to be “a little more complicated” than a regular extradition matter, said Ms Miner, suggesting that the Irish State’s action may have a “political purpose”.
Prosecutor Amy Burkart, taking the case on Ireland's behalf, said she would challenge Ms Miner's request for bail as there was a "risk of flight".
With that, the former chief executive of what was Ireland’s third largest bank was cuffed and shuffled out.
